Demon Unravelled
by Naia101
Summary: The demonic side of Rin is at it's breaking point. It isn't just his demon half, it's like another being sharing the same body. A bloodthirsty, murderous being that just wants to see the world burn. Because there'll come a day when Rin can't come back, and when that happens, there will be Hell to pay. (T for blood and gore)
1. Chapter 1

It wasn't the first time he had trudged home covered in blood. Apparently, there hadn't been as many living things around as last night, you could tell from the significant decrease in the amount of the red liquid. He stopped running for a brief moment. He had to get back to the dorm with enough time to clean up and get back into bed before Yukio woke up. Staring up at the sky, he saw the stars had begun to fade as the pink tinge of sunrise began to permeate the skies. He allowed the cold night air to flood his lungs, and he continued on his was. Staying close to the shadows, he couldn't let anyone see him. Not like this. He looked too much like the monster he was.

"OKUMURA!" Rin was startled awake by Yukio's shout. He blinked ferociously before lowering his gaze and muttering, "sorry.". "Now, as I was saying..." His voice was soon tuned out into the background as Rin stared out of the window. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the classroom was hot and sticky. Coupled with his severe lack of sleep and you had a recipe for disaster. He almost hadn't made it back last night. One of the guards must have seen a small flicker of the flames and come to investigate. When Rin had come too, he was forced to scale a tree and wait for the guard to leave. Thankfully, the grass wasn't too scorched, and the darkness had concealed it where it was, and the trail of gore from the beings unlucky enough to have been in the area were in a different clearing. Still, it had been too close for comfort. Rin could still feel the blood clinging to his body, even though he had scrubbed and scrubbed until every drop was gone. He had to destroy the clothes he had been wearing though. That much blood wasn't going to wash out. Rin knew that it wasn't getting any better. If anything, it was getting worse and worse, but he just couldn't face the others with so much death on his hands. Technically, it wasn't him, but who was he kidding? He knew, deep down, that the demon was as much a part of him as he was of it. "Don't forget!" Yukio's voice pulled him out of his spiral of dark thoughts. "You have a test next lesson, so make sure you study extra hard for it!"  
Oh crap.  
"Hey, when were we told about this? I don't remember you mentioning it!" Rin burst out, "Well, maybe you should have been paying attention in your lessons, Okumura." He said in frustration. Near the back of the room Suguro made a 'tch' noise, prompting yet another heated discussion between the two before Yukio could stop them. When he had, Rin just frowned at the floor. It wasn't his fault that he hadn't been sleeping. The best he could get was disturbed unconsciousness. Even then, he was technically still moving. Still killing.

It was late, the sun was just setting. In the dorm, Yukio was devising a new lesson plan, while Rin sat reading manga on his bed. "You know, I can tell something is wrong." Yukio's voice filled the otherwise silent room. "Huh?" Rin lowered the manga he was reading. "There's something bothering you. I can see it. What's wrong?" He broke eye contact with him. "Nothing. There's nothing wrong. Why would there be?" From the look on Yukio's face, he knew he wasn't convinced. Thankfully, he didn't push the matter. Unfortunately, that meant that he would be keeping an extra eye on Rin. Not the best thing for his situation. The rest of the evening passed in a tense silence. Yukio finally went to bed near 10 o'clock. Rin had been lying in bed, pretending to be asleep, until he was certain it was safe to get out. When he was, he crawled out of bed and began tiptoeing down the hall. Soon he was outside in the cool, night air. Kurikara was hanging off of his shoulder. He had thought about putting it somewhere he couldn't reach it, but the demon was smarter than it looked. There was also the option of putting is somewhere so far away that it couldn't get it, but he couldn't risk someone, or something, finding it. The same went for giving it to someone for safekeeping. He would have to tell them and if he trusted them enough to leave Kurikara in their hands, it would have to be someone close to him. He definitely didn't want to have to tell any of his friends his bloody secret, and leaving it with someone he didn't trust was out of the question. In other words, there was no other choice. Sighing, he continued down the road, keeping hidden, in the shadows.

This was far enough in the woods, right? It looked deserted enough. Not that it wouldn't find something to kill eventually, it would be as bad. Lying down on the wet grass, he felt his eyelids sink downwards. There was no point in fighting it. He had learnt that already. I was going to happen eventually, so no point in prolonging the inevitable. With one last sigh, he slipped into unconsciousness.

About twenty minutes passed. No outward activity could be seen. Dark or otherwise, there was no movement.  
Until.  
Until the smallest twitch of a finger. The tiniest lifting of a hand. It found the hilt of the sword lying next to him. A quick flick and the it burst open, bringing with it a torrent of blue flames, smouldering the grass and plantlife nearby. Rin's eyes snapped open, but there wasn't a trace of humanity left in them. The glacier-blue iris's burnt as bright as the flames that engulfed him. His pupils nothing but slits. He pushed himself upward, revealing a long, black tail. With a cruel grin, he lept off of the ground, landing lightly in one of the trees above. His eyes scanned the surrounding area, looking for something to kill, searching for a living thing to destroy. The sword was still gripped in his hand. Coaltars had began to swarm around him. His flames flared and they were nothing but ash. Finally, his eyes locked onto a small ghoul. It appeared to be a dog. Without a moments hesitation, he dived and slashed at it's legs, effectively severing one of them. He could have killed it in one shot. Blood stained the floor, but he went in for another attack. This time the tail. Slash followed slash until he got bored and blue flames consumed the mangled body. Still, it took a while for it to burn away. He turned looking for something else. A couple of Greenmen caught his eye, and it was over for them. Not particularly big, but not tiny. These were full grown. A line of fire streaked towards them. They panicked and he was on top of them in seconds. They scattered, but he chased them down one by one, not even bothering to use the sword anymore. His arms were soon coated in blood and bits of flesh, as was this torso. He cornered the last one. It tried to put up a barrier between him and it. It didn't last long. It was ash before it could fully grow into place. Out of options, it kneeled over, waiting for death. He swung once and pulled out it's heart, his talons clamped around it before it went up in flames. Thus, the rest of the night proceeded. The onslaught continued for hours until, finally, Rin gained enough control back to push the sword back in its scabbard. Panting, and surrounded by the maimed remains of the nights hunt. He fell to his knees and began to sob. The salty tears leaving trails in the red that coated him, falling to the bloody floor. He cried until the first light of dawn peaked over the horizon. Wiping the tears away with gore-stained hands, he began to trudge his way back to the dorm. All he could think about was that it was getting increasingly harder to regain control. The demon was killing for longer and longer every night. I wouldn't be long, until he couldn't come back at all. When that day came, they were all screwed.


	2. Why?

The teacher was babbling about something or other. It didn't even have to do with exorcism, it was just the normal high school classes. Rin could feel his eyelids being pulled downward. He was just about to-  
What the hell? He could have sworn the teacher had been talking about something completely different a moment ago... Confusion permeated his tired mind, until he realised. He had fallen asleep. Again. Well, at least the teacher here didn't yell at him, or hit his desk to wake him up like Yukio did. Damn spotty four eyes... Classes had been even harder than normal. He always felt almost numbed when he got back from the woods, so all the emotions would come rushing back to him during school hours, leaving him nothing but a hollow shell by the time cram school started, and by that point, he was so worn down by everything that he couldn't pay attention properly. Not that he could if he was in peak condition, but that was beside the point. What really scared him was the fact that he may have been almost getting use to it. The gore. The guilt. The remorse that clenched in his gut like a steel ball. He was surprised that none of the exorcists had found him yet. The demon must not be as bad as he once thought... What? No. It must just be luck. Fear gripped him. If that was true, his luck was seriously wearing thin.

The cold had begun to set in. Back at the dorm, you could feel the icy grasp of winter start to freeze the cool autumn breeze. Rin sighed. Great. So now he would be a monster, _and_ cold. He had long since dropped the manga he had been reading. Somehow, he just didn't have the stomach for it anymore. Yukio turned in his chair to face him. "Rin, shouldn't you be studying? You know, you could need to know this stuff at any given time, right?" Rin smelled a pop quiz. "Well, ummm..." He fumbled for an excuse., but eventually gave in. At first all he got was a raised eyebrow from Yukio, but it soon warped into a look of concern. Uncertainty began to seep into Rin's mind. He couldn't know, right? Not without outside help. Right? "Rin," He began, "Are you really OK?" Rin's breath caught in his throat as he racked his brain for a believable answer. "It's really unlike you to actually do your work! Something must have happened.". He let out the breath he hadn't realised he had been holding in, relief flooding him. "Yea, I guess you're right!" He replied, a smiling facade covering his face. *Whew.* _That_ had been close.

Again, another walk back. The cold cutting under his clothes. He could only wear thin ones when he went out, else someone would notice the bloodstains. That same numbness inside, as if it had all been just a bad dream. But the red still stained his clothes, and the grass was still scorched black. With the amount of damage, Rin, once again, wondered how the exorcists were missing it. Well, as long as they left him alone, he couldn't really complain. Or maybe, he wanted them to intervene? But it wasn't like they would help. There'd be a bullet in his head before he could say "wait". Lost in thought, he stumbled through the forest, until his foot caught on something and he was sent sprawling to the floor. Wincing from the sudden shock, he grabbed hold of the first thing he could and began to pull himself up. A branch, or something, but it seemed soft and... _Warm_? Dread deluged his as he realised what it was. It was a hand. Someone, had found him out.

He ripped his had away and fell backwards in an attempt to escape. Horror jumbled with panic as he scrambled to get away, until he managed to focus his eyes and saw who it was. He stopped, staring up at the grinning face of Mephisto Pheles. The demon headmaster of True Cross, himself. "Well, a good evening to you! Isn't it a bit late to be walking around alone in the woods?" Unable to answer, Rin's mouth just hung open, trying to find anything to say. Mephisto smirked. "Been a bit busy have we? That's going to leave a stain." He tutted at Rin's blood soaked clothes. "I- um... It just- well..." But Mephisto just held up a hand. Effectively, silencing him. He sighed and looked behind Rin. "My, my, you have left quite the mess, haven't you? You have no idea how hard it is cleaning up after you every single night without any outside help other than a couple of familiars, and it is demon blood that they have to clear. Not the most pleasant of jobs, I tell you." He pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers, all the while shaking his head, as if he was talking about an annoying child leaving his toys out. Not the mangled bodies of what were his own species. Frustration boiled inside Rin's gut. "This isn't something to laugh about!" He shouted at him. "And _I_ am not the one laughing! My dear boy, did you really think that the exorcists wouldn't see the brilliant blue flames that rage across this forest every night? Come now, they're dim, but they're not _that_ stupid. The entire school would have seen it had it not been for me!" Confusion numbed the anger bubbling inside Rin. "Hadn't been for you?..." Mephisto simply grinned. "You see, being someone of my... Capability, I simply created a bubble, within which you were quite safe. However, there was a time when I felt it creak, as if it were about to burst, but I'm sure that couldn't have been to do with you!" Scepticism was practically dripping from Rin's face as he considered his words. "But, why the hell are you helping me? And how long have you been doing this for?!" Mephisto chewed over the words for a minute. "Well, I remember that first night. I remember a blue light shining from your dormitory. I had my suspicions from the beginning, but they were finally confirmed when I found your bed on fire. I stopped your dear brother from waking up, and dropped you in the forest. Which was, considerably difficult due to the struggling demon. Luckily, you seemed to get the hint after you woke up in the forest covered in blood on blackened grass, not that your reaction wasn't amusing." Rin blinked, trying to process all of the information. Mephisto sighed, seeing his difficulty. Only one word managed to escape his lips. "why?" Again, he simply breathed out in frustration, before tapping a finger to the side of his nose. "You'll find out, in time. But for now, you'd better do something about that mess. Your dear brother will be missing you soon. Now, I bid you adeu!" With that, he disappeared in a puff of pink smoke. For a moment, Rin just stood there, flabbergasted. Blinking furiously, he glanced at the sky and saw the delicate pink of dawn flooding the sky. "Damn, Yukio'll be up any minute now. He took way too long talking!" He began to run, full pelt, back toward the dormitory. " _Damn clown_."


	3. A plan, a failure

"What the hell Mephisto?!" Rin yelled. Well, he'd like to, but he was in the middle of another one of Yukio's pop quiz's. He was doing it every other lesson now, and Rin could have sworn he was doing it just for his sake. Knowing him, he probably thought he was helping. Hah! Yeah, right. It was just another thing he had to juggle in amongst his high school classes, his demonic outbursts at night and the confusion the Headmaster had left him with last time. Knowing him, there was no way that clown was just doing it out of the goodness of his demonic heart. Nope, he was getting something out of it. Especially since it was so uncharacteristic of him to help anyone but himself so much. He obviously had his own agenda. Rin's thoughts just kept spinning in circles, until he actually felt dizzy. He looked around the room, sadness and guilt tore through him as he thought about what they would do if they found out. Push him away of course. He was a monster, after all. One of the very things they were learning to kill. Not for the first time, the sick irony of his position hit him. Maybe, he could try something tonight. For whatever reason, Mephisto was helping him. Maybe, he could use this to his advantage.

Another dismal test score later, Rin was running out of he dorm, again. As he approached the woods, he stopped and look behind him. He had idea how big this 'bubble' was, but Mephisto couldn't be that powerful, so he guessed it just encompassed the woods as tightly as possible. Retracing his steps for about 10 meters away, he hid Kurikara inside a bush, making sure it couldn't be seen. Before, he couldn't risk doing this, but he was almost certain that the Clown was watching. The thought sent a small shiver down his spine as the stalkerness of it hit him, but he brushed it off. The guy could think whatever the hell he wanted, as long as the sword was in relatively safe hands. Quickly, he made his way into the woods. The way he saw it, no sword, no killing.

.

.

Rin's mind was still groggy. Everything was black. This wasn't normal. He tried to open his eyes, but to no avail. Frustration clawed it's way up within him as he strained to feel something. Anything. Finally, he managed to get a crack of sight. Everything was a blur, like a painting that had been left in the rain. Just one big smear of blue. He could make out the sword, Kurikara, and a figure. But they were so close, just inches from his face. Somewhere, someone was growling, and he had a faint distinction that it was him. Dread began to creep in. Slowly at first, the tide coming into shore. Some of the numbness in his body faded. He was cold. But somewhere in particular. He focused. When the truth finally dawned him, the tide of horror crashed into him like a tsunami. A gun. There was a gun pressed against the side of his head.

As his vision cleared, he finally saw Yukio, standing there, his gun against Rin's head, and Kurikara against his throat. Deadlocked. A mix of terror. guilt and panic sat in his stomach, threatening to empty it. He smelled ash, but couldn't risk turning around to see the source, though, he had a pretty good idea. His mouth was dry, but he managed to open it. He felt the gun push harder against his head, but still croaked out one word. "Yukio..." Surprise registered on Yukio's face, but was quickly wiped away. But the gun still receded, slightly.  
"Rin, don't move. If it's you, pull the sword away. Now."  
His voice was calm, but still shook, betraying his true feelings. Rin moved his eyes to see the blade. He tried to move his hands, but found he couldn't. Panic swelled up as he tried desperately to get his arms to cooperate. Again, the gun pushed against him. Frantically trying to pull the weapon away from his brother, it finally twitched away. The next minute, it moved slightly. By using all of him might, he finally loosened his grip on the blade and it clattered to the ground. Yukio squatted down, not taking his eyes off of Rin, still pointing the gun. He sheathed the sword, and the light of the flames died away. Finally free of the demonic possession, Rin collapsed onto the ground, only conscious long enough to hear the gun's safety click off. When the darkness swallowed him whole, he welcomed it with open arms.


	4. Visitors and confusion

When Rin awoke, he was in a hospital bed. The air was heavy with silence, and the whole place seemed eerily empty. He tried to sit up, but found that he couldn't. Instead, there was a stabbing pain in his arm. He looked over and saw an IV sticking out of him, some kind of clear liquid pumping into his veins. The intense confusion was numbed slightly by anxiety that clenched in his stomach as he tried not to think about what it was. He managed to reach an arm out over the side of the bed. A bright spark of light and he whipped his hand back, feeling a severe burning sensation. Some kind of circle was probably surrounding the bed, that's why he wasn't handcuffed, something which he had only just noticed. He laid back down into the bed and tried to collect his thoughts. For whatever reason, they seemed to be running away from him, but he regained some memory of what had happened last night. Only seeing Yukio, him sheathing the sword and then blackness. The only thing really imprinted on his memory was the cold feeling of the gun on his head. His gut twisted with guilt. He had been holding Kurikara at his own brothers throat. He felt his own clamp shut and his eyes stung with tears. Now, everyone knew. There was no way Yukio could keep this a secret from his superiors, and there was no way his classmates wouldn't find out.  
"Well, look at you! You've had quite the brotherly spat haven't you?"  
Rin's heart sank to his stomach. There was no one else it could be.  
"Mephisto." It was practically a growl. Rin spat it at him like it was an insult.  
"Well, that not a very friendly way of greeting someone who just saved your life, now, is it? Nicht sehr nett in der tat!" The Clown's patronising tone brought on a wave of something much more than annoyance in Rin. Fury. Intense, hot, fury. It didn't even occur to him if it was an overreaction or not. Rin, growled ferociously, a deep, guttural sound that reverberated around the room. But Mephisto simply grinned. His smile setting Rin off even more. Not dropping the smirk, he mumbled, "Territorialen Instinke... How interesting..."  
"Well, if that's the case, I'll just leave you to you're own devices! I just came by to make sure that you were still breathing. Also, I would keep that temper in check, you may get visitors! Auf wiedersehen!" Another puff of that pink smoke, that Rin now could now associate with anger and confusion. He hadn't answered any of his questions! None!

Gritting his teeth, Rin pushed and finally managed to sit up in bed. Driven by the fury inside him, he lashed out at the barrier. Another bright flash of light, but this time, Rin didn't withdraw his hand. He pushed further for a couple of seconds, before yanking his hand back towards his body. Pain gripped him and he saw his hand smoking and blackened. Growling again, he tried to tip over the IV, but it appeared to be outside of the circle, and he just ended up burning the other hand. Panting from the pain, he resigned himself to snarling until his anger finally faded. Completely worn out, he quickly collapsed onto the bed. Not quite awake, but not really sleeping either. He could just think. Mainly, about how a simple conversation with Mephisto. He hadn't quite heard what he had mumbled, but it sounded like more German. Why couldn't the damn Clown just speak English, and answer his questions while he was at it?! Anger began to well up again, but it quickly died away as fatigue took over. All Rin could think about was questions, and he let his anger, guilt and sadness stew inside him into a big, emotional mess. He wondered if anyone would actually visit him in the hospital, but the only answer was painfully clear. They would never forgive him for what he was. Pain squeezed his chest, breaking through all other emotions. That's right. No one would ever forgive him for what he was. Demons would reject him because he was too human, most likely, and humans would kill him for being half demon. Rin spiralled down into his dark thoughts until all that remained, was unconsciousness.

How many times had he passed out in the last couple of days? It just kept happening. To be honest, it was getting to be really annoying! Rin was swimming, yet again, into the world of the living, when he heard the voices. He recognised some immediately. Yukio was there, and Shiemi, but there was also two other voices, completely unfamiliar. He wanted so desperately to open his eyes, but the remorse that haunted him clamped his eyes tight shut. All he could do, was listen.  
"What are you going to do to him?"  
"The trials that decided whether he lives or dies have finished, but there will be more to come to a conclusion on that matter."  
"So, are they going to execute him?"  
"For the moment, he will live, but he will remain here. When he has recovered, there will be another trial, one which he will attend, to decide his fate from there."  
"So, how will he be treated while he's here?"  
"I do not believe that it is your concern Mr Okumura."  
"He's my brother! If I do not have the authority to know as an exorcist, then I have the right to know as a family member!"  
"Umm, and I would like to know too. Maybe I could help, I-"  
"No, Miss Moriyama, your services will not be authorised or required."  
"Oh..."  
"You haven't answered my question."  
"To be quite frank with you, Mr Okumura, I'm not entirely sure why you _care_. Needless to say, he's a danger, but he attacked you, and we have sufficient eyewitnesses that saw your dear brother right in the centre of the Horde! We are still trying to exterminate all who came through!"  
"You may be right. But he is still my brother. I made a promise that I would be there for him, no matter what. Even if my own feelings are conflicted, I will keep my promise."  
Silence. Rin was pretty sure that they had continued talking, but the words he had heard were stuck, repeating over and over in his head, like a record. They had left him with more confusion than Mephisto! What Horde? But the loudest ones were Yukio's last words. It was obvious that he meant a promise to the old man, but he had said, "if my feelings are conflicted.". That's what he had said. Yukio wasn't helping him because Rin was his brother. All he cared about was having a clear conscious. Just so that he could say, 'yes, I kept my promise'. This had nothing to do with Rin! Sorrow gave way to anger, and anger gave way to betrayal. It wasn't his fault that he was like this! He had never asked to be the son of Satan! He could feel his stomach boil, Why wasn't Yukio the one who inherited the flames? Why did he have to deal with this? _**It wasn't his fault**_!

There was a flash of blue light.

Not again.


	5. The Sword

It was like Yukio was the only thing keeping Rin grounded. The only thing keeping him sane. Fear of his brother hating him, shunning him, getting hurt by him, had been the reason he could hold the demon back. His classmates in the cram school didn't care. They wouldn't be able to forgive him for being what he was. Rin had already accepted that. They would hate him and be afraid of him. But Yukio? He had thought, at least, his own brother could have understood. Could have stayed by his side. He'd thought wrong. Well. Damn the lot of them.

It was different from the other times the demon had taken over. Rin was, almost, fully aware. It was like he was riding in the back seat of his own body. Like, he was watching everything on a screen, blurred, and unfocused. He didn't feel guilt, or sadness, but, more like an echo of them. The only thing he really felt was anger, and hurt. It burned in his chest, like it was the thing giving substance to the blue flames that enveloped him. The demon was trying to escape from the protective circle the exorcists had placed around his hospital bed. The people he had heard talking were backing away, fear dancing on their faces, but hatred displayed on most of them. The bed was long ash, just a smouldering pile on the floor. The boundary was now visible, like Rin was looking through clouded glass. In places, it seemed to be disintegrating, ever so slightly. The exorcists realised too late. One of them lept forward, but it was done. The barrier shrivelled up, momentarily, before expanding outwards in an explosion of blue. Cold heat turned the man who had run forward to ash, the others had just made it out the door.  
"Call for backup, damn it! I knew it was a hamartia to keep that damn demon here!"  
In his mind, Rin would have cocked his head slightly. He didn't recognise _ANY_ of the people there. He felt like he should, but it was like his memory was just one big smear. The girl was taking shelter behind the boy with glasses, and brown hair. The only other thing Rin though was recognisable about him was the amount of moles on his face. He narrowed his eyes as he tried to place them. Well, if he couldn't even remember who they were, they couldn't matter that much to him. He, almost instinctively, scoured the room, looking for Kurikara. Without it, he wasn't even at full power. Accursed humans must have hidden it far away. He growled. Deep, and guttural. One of the exorcists had began summoning a familiar. It was one who he didn't even remotely recognise. He could smell the blood that was dripped onto the paper from where he was standing. The summoner muttered an incomprehensible chant, and a Naberious type demon rose from the ground. Rin had once met a teacher who favoured this type of familiar, the memory merely a shadow, but still there, all he knew was that this man wasn't him. Even without Kurikara, this was pitiful. Rin was about to advance, when a bullet whizzed past his ear. The other exorcist must have started attacking. The next one was incinerated as soon as it left the gun. Seeing this as a waste of time, Rin was out the window in a flash. He hadn't know how far up he was, but he managed to grab hold of a branch of a tree. After that, he began his hunt. Find the Sword. Everything else was secondary.

Since the Sword had contained his power, they must be linked on an instinctive level. It was like something in his head was a compass. The Sword was being kept in a room at the cram school. Most likely heavily guarded, not that it would be a problem. The only problem was, the only way to the cram school was with something. Rin fought his clouded thoughts to remember. Something he had. The demon headmaster had given him one on his first day... A... A key? That's right! He snatched the key out of his pocket, leaving huge tears in his clothes where his elongated claws had been too big to fit. He looked behind him, to see the exorcists from before had exited the building and were in pursuit. They had been joined by several more, and even more would follow.  
What a pain.  
The closest door was the entrance to the dormitory. He lept down from the trees, and landed softly on the ground. Now the exorcists would catch up even quicker. To be safe, he swung his arm behind him, creating a roaring wall of flames around him. The key in hand, he focused on the keyhole. His hand shook, as he desperately tried to focus enough to fit the key to the lock. If he could just burn a door, or even a wall, to ash to get inside, it would be easy. Maybe, that's why they did it. A click, and it was in. He turned the lock, a bit too ferociously, but it gave way and opened. Rin heard a scream behind him as one of the exorcists tried to breach his barrier of fire. He smirked darkly and entered the building.

Again, the compass in his head pointed him towards that Sword. He wasn't entirely sure why he wanted it, or what he would do with it. All he knew was that he needed it, like a lifeline. Rin finally arrived at the door. His head was pounding. It was here. He clenched his fists as tight as his teeth, and the door, and half the wall, exploded inward. Blue wreckage was everywhere.  
"Quite the entrance. But you will go no further!"  
He looked up to see the source of the voice. A tall man, with long, blonde hair, stood in between him, and the case containing his Sword.  
"I, Arthur August Angel, will exorcise you! Prepare yourself, Satanspawn!"  
A snarl escaped Rin, filling the room like it had substance. Suddenly, the man was behind him. Rin turned as fast as he could, releasing a jet of fire. The mans oversized sword deflected most of it and swung towards him with cutting speed. At the last moment, Rin lept backwards, landing on one of the rafter beams. He felt his cheek sting. A cut, only the size of a papercut, had slid across his face. Letting out a cry of rage, the room was suddenly filled with a blue aura. No longer looking like licking flames, but as if the very room itself had absorbed the heat. The air around them carrying its power. This Angel guy caught the brunt of it and was sent sprawling. Rin jumped down from the roof and ran for the box holding Kurikara, when behind him he heard,  
"Zodiac Slash!"  
He only managed to half get out of the way in time. A white beam crashed into him, opening a gaping wound in his side. Rin's blood was sprinkled on the floor. He was about to go in for another attack when he heard a chorus of clicks from the doorway. The reinforcements had arrived. A sea of gun barrels pointed fight at him. There was no way he could take them all. He needed the Sword. In an instant the room was cloaked in a flash of blue light. Momentarily blinding everyone. Rin charged for the box, but the long-haired man had the same idea. He reached out, so did Rin. The lid was flung open, fingers closed over the scabbard. Whoever had it, the Sword was drawn.  
The room turned from blue to black.  
Right where Rin's blood had been sprayed.  
A structure was unfolding from the ground.  
Rin, in his mind knew what this was.  
He had seen it the night of the Old Man's death  
A _Gehenna Gate_.  
 **Oblivion.**


	6. Locked Up

"Goodness me, you are a handfull, aren't you?"  
Why was it that every time Rin woke up, this bloody Clown was right there to gloat and confuse him? Maybe if he just pretended to still be asleep, he would leave him alone.  
"Come now, I'm only trying to be _nice_! There's no need to be like that. You did destroy half of my cram school, killed quite a few exorcists and left me with one hell of a job trying to clean up your mess. Honestly, I don't know why I bother."  
Rin continued ignoring him.  
"Oh wait! Yes I do. And I guess that's the information that you want, no?"

Rin had to bite his tongue to stop himself from replying. Of course he did! The damn demon knew it. He was doing what he always did. Using what he knew, and, more often, just annoying people into doing what he wanted. Sitting back, orchestrating the madness. As long as he benefited from it.  
"I suppose you also want an explanation as to what happened just before you passed out. That which seems to happen extremely often to you. Really, every time you do that, a lot of people are put out of action. _Permanently._ "  
Rin knew he was just trying to get to him, his insides were already churning at what he just said. But he couldn't give Mephisto what he wanted, he ju-  
"What do you want, Mephisto?"  
 _Oops._ The words had escaped him like they had a mind of their own.  
"Well, I want you to understand, at least, as much as I want to tell you at present, what is going on, at the minute. I need your full attention, I have no intention of repeating myself."  
Rin sighed. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes, to finally see where they were. A cell. Based on the small amount he remembered, he was surprised he wasn't dead, but then, Mephisto probably had a hand in that as well. Speaking of the demon, he couldn't see him anywhere. He scoured the small room, until he saw a small white dog sat on the floor. The only way to describe Rin's face was, ' _oh-my-God-you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me_ '. Shaking his head, he asked,  
"What do you want to tell me, then?".  
"My dear boy, you have me wrong! Had it been my choice, I would not have said anything, however, if I want the result I desire, unfortunately, some information must be shared."

Confusion began spreading throughout Rin, but it was immediately burnt away by frustration. Why did Mephisto have to involve him in his sick little plans? He was just using Rin for his own selfish gain. Not that he didn't already know that, but still, not even trying to conceal it, implying that Rin was so helpless to be a part of it all. Which, to be honest, was quite true, which was what made him so furious. But he couldn't do anything. Without this Clown and his plan, Rin would be dead and executed ten times over by now.  
"So, first things first, the sword. As demonstrated back at the hospital, you can loose control over your flames even if Kurikara isn't drawn. But, it seems that when the sword is drawn, the power is so overwhelming, your human self looses consciousness, leaving your body a mere puppet for your flames."

This was old news to Rin. What the hell was this demon thinking now? This better not be all of the information he planned to give him! This was stuff he already _knew_! A low growl escaped him, settling in the back of his throat.  
"And?..."  
Mephisto raised an eyebrow.  
"Well, since this power has no where to go, anywhere possible, a Gehenna Gate is created, allowing more of your flames to pass from Gehenna to Assiah. The first time this happened, Kurikara appeared to burn through your hand deep enough to release blood, therefore creating the Gate."  
Now, that was new. Rin swallowed, hard.  
"So, are you going to tell me anything about _your_ plan? What do _you_ get out of any of this?"  
He just raised an annoying finger and tapped the side of his nose. A action Rin had come to hate. All it meant was secrets, and hidden agendas.  
"Let's just say, if all works out, I should have an _insurance_ that could prove very useful. Now, I must be off, there will be questions raised if I am absent for too long. Now, I have given you this knowledge, what you choose to do with it is your business, but try not to cause too much trouble. It would be such an annoyance."  
A pink cloud, and he vanished, leaving Rin alone with his frustration and anger boiling in his gut.

After a distinct amount of time pulling at the bars of his dank cell, Rin threw his arms up in frustration. After reaching a toe out of the cell, it immediately jerked back, sizzling and burning. Some kind of holy water, probably. How had Mephisto managed to walk on it? Maybe it was something to do with why he was in dog form? Well, if so, there was no way Rin could copy it. He threw himself onto the wooden plank that doubled as a bed. From the feel in the air, the cell was probably underground. Mephisto must have had a lot of influence to keep Rin alive, but all that meant was that he owed the damn Clown even more. He clamped his hands on his head. Why did it have to be him? Why couldn't someone else have been born as the Devils half-breed son? It wasn't the first time Rin had wondered that. He supposed that he had just drawn the short straw at birth.  
He drifted in and out of sleep for God knows how long, nothing to do, and no way of telling how much time had passed. Great. So not only was he locked up, loosing control of himself more and more often, and would most likely be executed, but he was bored out of his brain as well. Life really did hate him. So, when he finally heard the door screech open, he lept off of his makeshift bed, grateful for some kind of interaction with the outside world. The feeling dissipated into the dank air as he saw who's familiar face it was.

"Why the hell are you here?"  
Not the most polite of greetings, but Rin couldn't bring himself to say anything else. This was the brother who didn't care about him at all. At first Rin hadn't blamed him, he was a demon, after all, but, as time wore on, he had realised. It didn't matter! Yukio was his brother, damn it! He of all people should have understood! Rin turned away from him, and sat back down on the edge of the wooden bed.  
"What, come to deliver me to my execution? Telling yourself that it's 'the right thing to do'?"  
"I wanted to talk to you!"  
The voice was steady, but there was definitely hurt, behind the serious facade. Still, Rin did not turn around.  
"What's to talk about?"  
"Rin, what happened back at the hospital? Why did you loose control, so suddenly?"  
His reply caught in his throat. It had been because of what Yukio had said, but for some reason, the words were lodged in his mouth, unable to leave his vocal chords. Instead, Rin just resigned himself to staying silent.  
"One minute, you were unconscious, the next... I don't know, you just _changed_. Kurikara wasn't even drawn! Yet, you could still break through the protective seal. That barrier was made by several exorcists, it wasn't a simple one."  
Still, silence.  
"The scariest part, there was still something human in your eyes, when you attacked. Tell me. Tell me that you didn't know what you were doing! That it wasn't really you!"  
How could Yukio be so Goddamn oblivious?! Rin clenched his fists, anger welling up inside him.  
"Why do you even _care_? It's not like you're actually worried about me! All you care about is keeping some promise to the Old Man! Making sure that you can sleep soundly, with a clear conscience!"  
Rin whipped round to face his brother, his eyes blazing with anger, and hurt.  
"So, that's what you think, is it?"  
Yukio's face was obstructed by his hair. His voice low, sinister.  
"That I don't care? That nothing matters to me?"  
He raised his head, revealing fury in his eyes.  
"I made a promise to Father that I would protect you! That was the entire reason I became a exorcist! For me to have made that promise in the first place... How stupid are you?"  
His shouts echoed around the small room, all the emotions they contained bouncing off the walls.  
"I had come down here because I wanted to tell you that everyone at the cram school is fighting upstairs, in the trials that they won't even let you attend! I wanted to tell you that we all still care about you, and want to help you!"  
Rin stopped for a moment. He felt stupid, for assuming from just one semi-consciously heard conversation, but he just couldn't get rid of the anger. It was like it had burned a scar right onto his heart, refusing to heal, or disappear. He laid back down on the bed, facing away from Yukio. He heard the door slam behind him, as salted tears began to run down his face. Everything he had been feeling up to that point, anger, confusion, frustration, guilt, sadness, had boiled and stewed inside him, now being released as one, big, emotional mess. He cried until all he felt inside was hollowness. Just an empty shell, like everything had left him through his tears. Before he knew it, he was slipping back into sleep. His brain, finally was able to fully comprehend what he had learnt. Something about Kurikara was unleashing so much power, a Gehenna Gate would form whenever it was drawn. Mephisto still had his own agenda, something about, insurance? Yukio didn't hate him. Didn't blame him for what he was. His friends were fighting for his life. If he had had any tears left, he would have cried for being so stupid, but it was like he had used them all up. His eyes were dry, and empty. When the darkness finally came, he welcomed sleep. The next day would bring more hurt and frustration. All he could do was press on, not that he had much of a choice. He owed it to all of his friends, since he had underestimated them so much, to stay alive, and stay fighting.


	7. The Intruders

Everything was a blur. Rin's lungs were burning in his chest. Gashes and cuts decorated his body, blood still pooling from the ones that hadn't healed yet. But he had to keep running. He wasn't quite sure why, all he knew was that if he stopped running, for even a moment,  
he was dead meat.  
It felt like his face was being pricked by a thousand tiny needles, the only thing keeping Rin going was the panic swelling in his gut. The undergrowth he was running through seemed to have no end, like he was staggered in time, stuck in a recurring nightmare. Behind him, he could hear whispers stalking him, speaking in some unintelligible language. He turned to look behind him to see a dark shadow cloak the skies in black.  
It was only when he became conscious that he realized,  
he wasn't alone after all.

Still groggy from sleep, Rin's body reacted instinctively. He lept off of the bed, blue flames instantly filling the room. As his vision came into focus, he made out two figures in his cell, now pressed against the wall in fear.  
"We want to help! Please, don't kill us!"  
"Y-y-yeah! We j-just wanna get y-you out!"  
Calming down, the fire gradually faded, until all that was left was a charred bed and two very startled intruders.  
"Who the hell are you?"  
To be honest, Rin was surprised to hear that his voice wasn't shaking.  
"Umm... Well- we just... We're trying to, get you out, so, umm..."  
Both the figures seemed to be bowing as low as possible, neither of them meeting his gaze. Now that he had woken up a bit, Rin could see one thing for certain, they weren't human.

They weren't very big, obviously quite low level demons. Rin recognised one of them as a small goblin. He didn't recognise the other, but he was staying quiet, standing with it's head bowed.  
"Umm... Ok, well suppose you really do want to help me, how would be able to do it?"  
They didn't speak for a moment as if it were obvious. Rin was definitely missing something.  
"Umm... Well, we were hoping, if you don't mind, ummm... If you would, if you please, create a Gehenna Gate?..."

It trailed off, as if it was too terrified to continue. The suspicion that had been dripping from Rin's face was now replaced by fearful understanding. It was a good thing neither of the demons would look him in the eye. A gehenna Gate? How the he'll was he supposed to just make one, and even if he did, there was no way he was going through that thing!  
"So, what do you want from me? There's no way this is just for my sake!" The words were practically a hiss. The result of the anxiety pooling inside him.  
"The truth is, young Prince, we have heard of a plot, back in Gehenna. A plot to assassinate Lord Satan! We need you, we need you're help!"  
That, had not been the answer he expected. There was always someone who wanted to kill the demon, he wasn't exactly a celebrity. Why was this any different? Ring opened his mouth to retort, but nothing but dry air left his lips.  
"Please, Prince, the group who is planning this treason, is bigger than any before. Consisting of scores of demons who were once subjects of the Lord. We need you!"  
The demon in front of him actually got down onto his knees and bowed down. The other hesitated, then followed his lead. Both of them before him. Begging.

Gehenna's issues weren't Rin's problem! He just couldn't desert his classmates while they were fighting for his life in court! He just couldn't! He had to make it up to Yukio, for being such a selfish jerk.  
"No!"  
Silence took the room.  
"I'm sorry, but I... I just can't! The people I care about, here, are my priority! I don't want to be involved!"  
The silence thickened. The demon that Run hadn't been able to identify, spoke.  
"The reason they want to kill the Lord, is because they believe that he is siding with Assiah. With the exorcists. Because of you."  
His voice was low, like a growl.  
"I mean no disrespect, but they will come after you too. When they do, those people that you care about? They will be the first to be used against you. And the first to be killed. Please. You have to help us."

Confiction tore through him. What was he supposed to do now? Why did they have to involve he and his friends in their power struggles? Rin snarled. It wasn't fair! But then, nothing in his life really had been to start with.  
"Just... give me a minute."  
The demons backed away from the cell. Ring walked up to the wall at the back of the cell. He swallowed hard, and held his thumb up to his incisors. Wincing, he bit down until blood began to flow freely. Slowly, he began to drag his bleeding thumb across the wall. Letters could soon be made out.  
"I'm sorry. Had no choice. Please forgive me."  
It looked a bit eerie, but it was the best he could do given his circumstance. It wasn't like he had a pen and paper, and he just couldn't bring himself to go without leaving them something. Exhaling, shakily, Rin turned back to the demons.  
"I need Kurikara. I can't do it without it."  
The one who had spoken to him last produced it from a bag Rin had just noticed. Shock plastered Rin's face.  
"How did you get that?! It must have been heavily guarded!"  
The demon just shook his head.  
"We managed to sneak in to get it. It was a bit too easy, but, for now, we can't worry about that."  
Rin bit his lip to keep from arguing, forgetting, momentarily, how sharp his canines were. If it was that easy to get, something was obviously up, but, much as he hated it, the demon was right.

For the first time, the terror of what he had to do struck him. Like a ton of bricks. There was no telling what he would do once it was drawn.  
"Ok, stand as far away from the cell as possible, draw the sword, and when the Gate is made, sheath it again."  
The demon nodded.  
Rin held his breath, feeling like he was going to be sick. Terror sticking to his every thought.

It was only one movement.

One, simple, movement.

The blue flames burst forth, and the cold heat filled the room.

There was no going back now.


	8. Gehenna

The smell of ash permeated Rin's nose. Why did passing out have to be so disorienting? And painful, his head felt like someone was trying to break out of his skull, which wasn't too far from the truth, really. Sighing, he pulled his eyelids open and tried to focus on his surroundings. He was getting use to it. Going unconscious. But only the recovering part. He was no closer to controlling the beast inside him. Thinking back, it really had always been there, lurking in the back of him mind. He remembered the shouts of,  
" _Demon! Demon Child!_ "  
It had been leaking violence into his thoughts for as long as he could remember. The Sword had only been a breaking point.  
Scowling, he managed to pull himself to a sitting position and looked around him. Somehow, Rin had landed in a desert of ash and scorched landscape. Not a single sign of life could be seen. The sky was blood red, with dark grey clouds smeared across the horizon. It appeared to be early morning, but the air was dry, and dead.  
Ash had already covered him, even up his nose, and down his throat. He turned his head, and behind him stood a single structure. It was burnt a charcoal black and looked like some kind of upright, rectangular archway. At the base of it was a square, that kind of looked like a small swimming pool, but, without water. And hell version. There were other structures scattered around the area that, at one point, might have been decorations, or statues, but were now just melted piles of indistinguishable black. The scenery would have made Rin feel a bit disturbed, but, yet again after drawing the Sword, all he felt was hollowness.

Remembering the other demons, he looked around him. Two figures were hunched next to the outside wall of the square base. There they were. Rin shakily made his way to his feet and started towards them. The first thing that hit him was the stink of burning flesh as he approached them. Dread began to creep in.  
" **Umm... Are you OK?** "  
Not sure what else to do, Rin reached out to touch one of them.  
 _Cough_  
 _Cough_  
" **Thank you for your concern, Prince, but we are quite alright. Just a slight tinged.** "  
Letting out a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding in, Rin put his hand up to lean on the archway.  
" **So, where the hell are we, anyway? Wait, why does your accent sound different?** "

" **Prince, this is the Demon Tongue. See? You're speaking it instinctivly. The minute we got here, your sub-conscious must have compensated.** "

Great. Now he even sounded like a demon. Well, it wasn't that big a leap. He already acted like one enough, to be honest, Rin wasn't even sure why he was surprised. The Goblin signed and continued.

" **This is the west of Gehenna. Specifically, one of Lord Satan's Gate stabilisers. It is somewhere that can keep a Gehenna Gate open for an extensive amount of time. The rebels burnt it almost to the ground, but it must still have had some power left, because your power was drawn to it.** "

Most of what the demon had just said made absolutely no sense whatsoever to Rin, but they were definitely in Gehenna. For some reason, a wave of loss and loneliness washed through him. His fist subconsciously clenched, also hoping that the others could see the message that he had left for them.  
" **It was very intelligent of you to smear your blood on the back wall, and before the sword was drawn. Otherwise, you might not have been able to make a stable Gate, and we wouldn't have been able to judge where it would have been. Thanks to that, we were able to get through to Gehenna.** "  
Rin blood ran cold. It was all he could do not to cry. Of course. The message was written in blood. Blood was what made the Gehenna Gate. His friends would never see that message. All that would be left was the remnants of the wall.  
 _IDIOT!_  
His clenched fist made contact with his forehead, much harder that expected.  
" **Prince!** "  
How could he have forgotten? That had been most likely the last thing his friends would have ever seen of him. Fallen to his knees, he lowered his head as his limp arms fell to the ground. Tears sparkled in the sporadic red light of the sky on his cheeks. It wasn't just the stupid message. It was finally sinking in. There was no way he would ever see anyone he cared about again, and they would most likely hate him for real this time. Fighting his battles for him while he makes a sneaky escape. To Gehenna, of all suspicious places. His actions reminded him, sickeningly, of that damn Clown, Mephisto. In the mess, Rin's tail had revealed itself and was now drooping on the floor next to him as his tears watered the ash.

The goblin obviously had no idea how to handle the situation. Neither did the other demon. All they could do was sit watching as their only hope wept like a baby.  
Rin sniffed, and wiped his eyes, which were now as red as the sky, before standing up.  
" **OK, where now?** "  
The statement was slow, bereft of any emotion.  
" **We need to head to central Gehenna. Your father is waiting for you the-** "

" **He is not my father!** "

Rin's shout echoed around the deserted area, like a ghost. Intense fear flickered behind the small demons eyes. After all, he had just experienced Rin's Demon firsthand. But there was also a tinge of anger dancing in there. He swallowed hard before continuing.  
" **To get there, we must go east, through Ufiazad and then past Atio. That is the route that will leave out the majority of cities and towns, and the countryside is not in as bad a shape as here.** "  
Rin gave a tired nod. He'd had enough of it all, and just wanted to curl up into a ball and go to sleep. Unfortunately, they had to get to Ufiazad before there was any hope of that.  
They set off, with the Goblin in front, and Rin following. Then he remembered the other demon. He swivelled around and, there he was, following behind, like a silent shadow. The thought of him sent ice racing down Rin's spine. Whatever way you look at it, it was creepy. The whole situation was creepy! Rin missed his nice, warm bed, in his nice, warm dormitory, with his boring old classes and all of his friends. He even missed Suguro, who could be such a pain in the ass. He felt tears sting behind his eyes, but he blinked them away. He couldn't accomplish anything if he just kept crying every 5 minutes! Clenching his fists as tight as his resolve, he trudged after the demon, through the ashes.


	9. Mephisto's Insurance

" **UUUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH!...** "  
Keeping a low profile was seriously difficult. The inn they were staying at for the night had to have been really quiet, but the only place that fit that bill had been this dump. At least the ashes were a lot thinner here. Ufiazad was a relatively small town, but it had looked like it used to be a lot bigger. " **I had no idea it was so bad here...** "  
" **Did you say something, Prince?** "  
Rin whipped his head around, as if remembering the Goblin was there.  
" **Nothing! I didn't say anything, and anyway, how long do we have to stay here, huh?** "  
The Goblin frowned, or seemed to, like a scolded puppy.  
" **I'm sorry, forgive me, young Prince, but we must stay here for the night, lest we run into the unsavoury demons that roam at night. Not that I doubt your abilities, in the slightest, but it is simply too dangerous to be out at night. Especially here.** "  
Rin scowled. He didn't want to be here. God, didn't these demons have their hands full fighting the Order? He gripped Kurikara tighter. The Goblin had given it back to him when they had arrived in Ufiazad.  
" **Hey, you know, if I'm gonna travel all the way through Gehenna with you, I should at least know your name.** "  
The demon stared at him in surprised silence. He blinked a couple of times before responding.  
" **Umm... Well, I, umm... it's Yoru. Yoru Garasu.** "  
Rin thought about it for a second.  
" **Huh. So the word 'Yoru' for night, and 'Garasu' for Glass. Cool.** "  
If Rin hadn't have known better, he would have sworn the demon blushed. He leaned his head back and let out an exasperated sigh.  
" **I'm going to bed.** "  
Without another word, Rin stood up and began to walk away. Fatigue was pulling his eyelids downward, but, really, he just wanted to get away. Gehenna was really barren. It was like someone had burnt down everything, leaving behind just a wasteland of grey. He could actually, kind of, understand why demons crossed over to Assiah so frequently. The familiar tug on his heart reminded him to stop thinking about it. Rin had found that if he just suppressed everything about his life in Assiah, even memories, he could bear it. He hadn't even cried since that first night. Shaking his head, he found himself outside the door that the Goblin had rented him out. Inside, the bed was little more than a plank of wood with a dusty, paper thin matres balanced precariously on top. Great. He carefully lied down on it and quickly drifted to sleep.

"What did you do?"  
Mephisto put a hand to his chest with a look of mock offence twisting his face.  
"I didn't do anything. Your dear brother went to Gehenna of his own accord. He wouldn't have created the Gate otherwise."  
Yukio scowled at the headmaster.  
"He wouldn't have deserted us. Something happened. Something made him leave, and, in all likelihood, it has something to do with you."  
The demon sat in his chair, which, for once, was planted firmly on the ground, and sipped his tea.  
"I'm afraid this had nothing to do with me. The demons in Gehenna are fighting. Some want to assassinate Satan himself."  
This statement, said in such a casual tone, took Yukio aback.  
"Assassinate?"  
Mephisto grinned.  
"Indeed, and there are those who wish to stop them. To do that, they convinced Rin to go back with them. Unfortunately, being in Gehenna could dramatically impact Rin's demonic blood. His demonic energy, if fully released, could spell disaster for both Gehenna and Assiah."  
Yukio just stared at the floor. Absorbing the news. A splurge of emotions racing through his mind so fast he couldn't grasp at a single one.  
"What do you get out of it?"  
Mephisto looked at him.  
"Hm?"  
"You could have done something about it. Especially if it's going to effect you so drastically, you obviously are getting something out of it!"  
"It's unfortunate that you think so lowly of me, but yes, in this situation, I am."  
His mocking grin widened, like the Cheshire cat.  
"I have the son of Satan. Or, at least, the people he cares about. Whichever side wins, they'll all want the same thing, and that's the thing that I'll have. I'll especially need this if they do somehow manage to assassinate Satan. Since I am one of the 8 Demon Kings, I am going to be one of their targets, and I can't stop them if they've enough power to defeat the King of Demons. In short, I have insurance."  
Fury was exploding from Yukio, his fists clenched.  
"My brother..."  
His voice was cut off by the sheer amount of anger building inside him.  
"My brother is not a _thing._ A _benefit_ you can exploit. I... I won't let you."  
"Oh? But, even with the Order, there's not much you can really do about it. Good luck, Mr. Okumura."  
Without another word, Yukio turned and walked out, leaving the Headmaster in a cold silence.  
He simply chuckled, and sipped his tea.

 _CRASH_

Rin's eyelids snapped open.  
" **What the hell was that?** "  
He lept off of the bed and ran to the door, only to find it wouldn't budge an inch.  
" **Let me ou-** "  
He heard a bang on the door.  
" **Is anyon-** "  
Another bang. Rin stopped trying to speak. Putting his ear to the door he strained to hear what was on the other side.  
" **Where is he?** "  
Rin flinched his head away from the door. Had his hearing always been so good?  
" **Where is who?** "  
" **Don't play stupid! We know you're keeping him here! Satan's missing son! Where is he?** "  
Silence filled the building.

 _SLAP_

Someone yelled out in pain.

" **WHERE IS HE?** "  
Still no one spoke.  
" **He's here. I know it. CAN YOU HEAR ME? FOR EVERY MINUTE YOU KEEP ME WAITING, ANOTHER DEMON GETS IT!** "  
Did he really think that would work? Rin didn't even know these things! He hated demons, right? Satan killed his father! There was no reason he should feel any sympathy for them!  
A scream rang through the air and chilled his blood.  
It didn't even sound human, right?  
He heard a body fall to the floor and cursed his acute hearing.  
There was no hit this time, they must have used some kind of fire. The shrieking continued for at least a minute. By that time, another thwack assaulted his ears.  
He felt something warm run over his feet. Looking down, Rin jumped back about a metre, his feet making prints of the blood oozing under the door.  
Hoping that his heavy breathing couldn't be heard on the other side of the door, Rin didn't know how much more he could take.  
He DID care.  
These living, breathing, beings were bleeding for him. He didn't even know them, and they were unwillingly putting their lives on the line because of him.  
Ignoring the blood, he ran at the door, but it still wouldn't move.  
" **I'm in here! Just STOP! I'm in here, leave them out of it!** "  
" **What are you doing? PRINCE!** "  
Rin recognised Yoru's voice, but there was no way he could just stand by as these demons hurt, almost killed people around him.  
" **There you are! I knew you could be persuaded!** "  
A cruel laugh travelled through the door.  
The sound of a large piece of furniture being moved creaked on the floorboards and the door flew open. A large group of ghouls crowded the hallway, and a naberius stood right in the doorway, towering over him. Without a further comment, it grabbed his arm and began pulling him away. He glanced over at Yoru, but saw no anger in his eyes, only sadness, and hopelessness. Regret wormed its way into his heart, joining the anxiety that had taken root there. His arm was going dead because of how hard the naberius was dragging him.  
" **Wait, what about kuri-** "  
Yoru just shoot his head, as little, yet violently as possible. Rin felt he probably should have ignored him and told them about it, but he was too worried to think clearly. Whoever Yoru worked for had control over releasing the demon whenever they wanted. How would it work, now that he was in Gehenna?

The naberius threw him out the door, onto the ash street.  
" **So, we're going straight to central Gehenna! You have the honour of completing our main objective! You should feel so privileged** ** _your majesty_** **.** "


	10. Alone, Again

" **LET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE! NOW! LET ME OUT, YOU BASTARDS!** "  
It had been about 6 hours, and Rin had been showering his captors in every bit of colourful language he knew.  
" **Will you shut UP! You're giving me a killer headache!** "  
Rin gawped at how dense this guy could be.  
" **That's the GODDAMN POINT!** "  
Immediately after the words left his mouth, a bang as loud as a shotgun rang throughout the cage. The naberius must have hit the cage with something metal, and solid. Suddenly, a point on his arm started burning. Like someone was holding a flaming torch to one tiny area. Trying to inspect the spot, he saw a droplet of water resting on his flesh. Panicking, he quickly rubbed it off. Holy water.  
" **That's right! Make any more trouble for us, and you'll be getting a nice shower in this stuff!** "  
This was followed by a burst of cruel laughter that made Rin's hair stand to attention. The cage they had stuck him in was enclosed in some kind of enchanted iron. It wasn't blessed, or it would be burning the hell out of him, but it was resistant to any attempts to melt it. Although, saying that, without Kurikara, there was no way Rin could muster up enough power to do much to anything. It didn't have bars, just solid walls, but there were holes in the top, a couple of centimetres wide. That's where he had put the Holy water.

In his frustration, Rin lashed out at the wall without really thinking, but all he got was a sore, throbbing hand. In a flash of blue, it stopped hurting, his flames must have come out to heal it, but his body must be trying to conserve what it could. For the last 3 hours, all he could do was sit there and shout profanity at whoever he could. The fear and anxiety that had consumed him, had developed into overwhelming fury and frustration.  
" **Hey, you know, we're now about to enter one of the towns that we control. The people there may be a bit... Unruly, towards you. Just remember who's the one keeping them from killing you.** "  
He began to laugh, but Rin could only hear it for a second, before the first yell permeated the air.  
" **DAMN ASSIAH SCUM!** "  
Rin nearly jumped out of his skin. The anger that had been boiling inside him began to fade, and cold fear replaced it. That had been a cry of pure, guttural hate. Many more followed.

Again, he cursed his acute hearing.

All he could do was curl up into a ball and clamp his hands over his ears. The shouts of the townsfolk mixed with the shouts of the people in Assiah, when he was a child, calling him a demon, a monster. The accusations were so similar, that Rin couldn't tell whether someone was really yelling at him, or if it was in his head.  
Once again, he felt like a little kid, hated by the world.  
There was no warm church to go home to.  
There was no younger brother smiling at him.  
There was no father who could always make everything OK again.  
There was only the yells of the people and demons who wanted him dead.  
Warm tears pricked his eyes, streaming down his cheeks.  
It wasn't fair, it just wasn't. It wasn't his fault that he was a demon. It wasn't his fault he had been born like this. All he had ever wanted was to live. To live a normal life with the people he loved. If anyone was to blame here, it was the demons, now screaming at him. They were the ones who had killed his father, taken him away to Gehenna! It was their fault, ant they were blaming _HIM_? It wasn't fair.  
It wasn't FAIR.  
 _ **IT WASN'T FAIR!**_

From outside the cage, someone saw a blue light begin to rise from the holes in the cage. A child tugged at it's shouting mother's sleeve.  
" **Mummy, what's that light?** "  
Dread filled the air, just before it exploded into a stream of azure fire.

Yukio was still trying to recover from his conversation with Mephisto. That sneaky demon, all he cared about was himself, and his amusement. It made Yukio sick just thinking about it. How could he do anything about it? Even if he could somehow work around Mephisto's huge influence, nothing the Order could do would stop him. He was the demon king of _TIME_ after all. Never in his life had Yukio felt so alone. Rin had always been there, for good, or bad, but, now, he wasn't even sure if he would be Rin anymore. If he were to believe all that Mephisto said, being in Gehenna would seriously affect Rin's demonic blood. God only knows what would happen to him, coupled with other demons and humans trying to use him and force him to do things for them or their own cause. If Rin ever did come back to Assiah, there was no guarantee that he would be the same brother Yukio remembered. In fact, the stakes were highly against him being the same.  
He clenched his fists. It was near impossible for him to fulfil the promise he made to Father. How could he protect Rin if they were in _different dimensions?_  
For now, as much as he couldn't stand it, the only thing he could do was wait, and hope.

The iron walls had smashed into a thousand tiny pieces, as Rin quickly ran off what was left of it. Everywhere around him were people screaming, running away, some still shouting abuse. It was like his thoughts were clouded over, his anger leaving him almost unable to think clearly. Every instinct he had was telling him to kill them all, the ones who hated him. To protect himself, right? He barely managed to contain himself.

 _Run._

The lone voice was all he needed. His blue tinged claws dug at the earth and ash he stood on, as he turned and began to run as fast as he could. Behind him, he heard them coming after him. They would most likely have had Holy water, so he had to move fast.

He wasn't fast enough.

He felt a chain clamp around his arm, the burning sting of Holy water covered him. This time, the chains were blessed. The searing pain was unimaginable, except, he was experiencing it. It was real, and it was killing him. Faces surrounded him, chaining him down, covering him in Holy water until Rin could no longer stand. It felt as if he was being torn apart from the inside out, his flames were slowly dying, trying to heal all of the wounds.

 _Stop it._

He felt his conscious slipping away.

 _Stop it._

Not again! The pain was too much.

 _ **Stop it!**_

The entire area, the whole town, was nothing but smouldering ashes. Not even the buildings escaped unscathed. All that was left, were bits of collapsing timber, set alight with the blue fire. They wouldn't last long.

The whole scene played out in Rin's mind.  
The demons were chaining him up, surrounding him, but all that happened was a shot of blue flew upwards, before expanding into a bubble of fire. Everything inside was completely obliterated. As if that wasn't enough, the ball just, exploded outwards, like a nuclear bomb, and with the sound of one too.  
Nothing stirred. Outwardly, or inside him. All Rin felt was fatigue. His breath ripped out in choked rags, uneven and strained. With a grunt of effort, he pushed himself up. He had to find Kurikara. He didn't know what would happen if he didn't. Unlike the times he had drawn the Sword, his nails, or, rather, talons, hadn't returned to normal, his tail was still twice it's regular size, and he could feel how large his fangs had become. As he looked, he could see the blue tinge of his claws continued onto the tips of his fingers. That didn't use to happen, but he was so exhausted that he didn't cast it much thought. The blue flames still clung to him like an aura, as he ambled, all alone, along what once might have been a road. He had no idea where he was going, only that he had to find the Sword. Otherwise, there was going to be trouble, and what had just happened, couldn't even compare.


	11. With my Own Eyes

The cold blue of the flames that licked around him was the only thing allowing Rin to see in the black of night. He had no need of a campfire, for obvious reasons, and it wasn't really cold. Even sleeping on the floor wasn't so bad. The ashes were soft, like a blanket; it was the first time he had ever thought of them like that. The grey scale that covered West Gehenna had always made him think of death, and his own inability to control himself. Now, it was just something that was convenient to what he needed. He exhaled, and looked up at the sky. It was void of stars, and somehow, still tinged red, even in darkness.

It had been a day since he'd incinerated the town. Somehow, he still felt nothing when he thought about it. His mind drifted to the thought, expecting the pull of guilt, but instead, finding nothing. It was a strange sensation. Since then, he had just been wandering, aimlessly, in what was, probably, a straight line. There wasn't much point to walking anymore, so he simply laid down, and went to sleep.

It took hours to reach any kind of civilisation. It seemed like he would have found more, but there was just ash. The first thing Rin noticed, was that he could feel dirt beneath his feet, not the same soft grey. In the distance, he could see a city. It was the biggest one he had seen so far.  
" **So, this must be central Gehenna.** "  
He didn't quite know how he knew, but he did. So, all he could do was keep going towards it. He'd come this far, after all.

The walls towered over him, hard, and black, like obsidian. The gate was just as unwelcoming. Normally, it would have struck fear, immediately, into Rin, but still, he felt devoid of anything. Not even the long journey had him feeling weary. Without thinking, he approached the gates.  
" **Oi! What do you think you're doi-** "  
A shout was cut short. Rin remembered about his ever present azure flames. They must have been a bit of a giveaway. The next thing he knew, he felt a hand on his arm.  
 _ **AAAAAGH!**_  
It shot away, seemingly burnt by the fire. Rin looked at him. There was both a look of confusion and fear on his face. It was quite an amusing combination, it made his face look twisted and distorted. He obviously had no idea what to do.

Another demon came over, took one look, and the same expression was plastered on his face. They both glanced at each other before one said, in a high, quiet voice.  
" **U-Umm.. We need you to- Could you please- Umm... We need to go and inform the king. Coul- Please, would you, umm... Wait here? For a moment? We won't keep you waiting long!** "  
He quickly dashed off, while his counterpart simply stayed, trying to avert his eyes. Rin would have laughed at their nervousness, if he could force the noise from his gut.

A minute passed.

Then ten.

Then thirty.

Finally, the demon returned with, what looked like, another guard. He was probably a higher up.  
" **Excuse me, but would you please follow me into the city, there is someone who wishes for you're presence.** "  
He then bowed low, and gestured for Rin to go inside the now open gates. Rin blinked, and then walked right in.

No going back now.

" **Please, follow me.** "  
The demon led the way down twisted, dark alleyways. There weren't many open streets here. It was more like a maze of back alleys and roughly cobbled, thin footpaths between buildings. It was also night, which didn't help, even with the blue light Rin provided. Before long, they arrived at another set of gates. The gnarled metal reminded Rin of twisted limbs, a rather disturbing comparison, but it's what popped into his head at first sight. They were black, just like the front gates, but, unlike the others, seemed to be polished, but rarely opened. They had the dusty, abandoned feel. Really helping with the ambience. Rin half expect bolts of lightning to start striking down, and booming thunder to roll over the sky.

With a sound like nails on a chalkboard, the gates edged their way open. Rin simply exhaled, and walked through them. Maybe he would have been more hesitant if had felt something, anything. But, this was not the case. If anything, he was more curious to see what was lying ahead.

The palace itself was _huge_. It seemed that black was the preferred colour around here, because it was the same shade as most of the other structures in the city. There were five spires reaching towards the sky, all connected to one large, main building. The front door was actually grey, not black. It was decrepit, looking like it hadn't been opened in years, which seemed to be a recurring theme around here. But, with an almighty crunch, they were forced open, and the inside could be seem, clearly. It looked just like an empty hallway, so large, it seemed like the whole sky was in there.  
" **Young Prince, we have awaited your arrival. I will lead you to the throne room.** "  
Rin sighed in reluctance and, eventually, began trailing after the demon who had spoken. He didn't take much notice of the demons who came to speak to him anymore. They were either trying to kill him or use him, and it became apparent very quickly which of the two they were when they showed up. There was no point dwelling on it.

The palace was huge on the inside too, as was expected. Even in his hollowed state, Rin still felt mildly in awe. But nothing compared to the throne room. It didn't take long to get there, as it was in the centre of the building, and the entrance practically led straight to it. The room was so much... _Smaller_ , than the rest of the rooms Rin had seen. To be honest, it was more of a shock to Rin than if it had been monstrously huge. There were torches lighting the walls and a small staircase leading to the throne, within the small room. The only thing large about this room was the person sitting on the grand seat. Though he was only as tall as the average human adult, his presence permeated the room like a stagnant fog that pressed down on you, almost making you hunch, instinctively, if not out of respect, for it was abundantly clear who this person was.  
" **So, we finally meet face to face, my long lost son. The last I saw you was through the eyes of your dying, adoptive father, now, I can finally see you with my own.** "  
Rin scowled, recalling the night, with a small twinge of anger.  
He stood and allowed the light to fall on his face. It was strange. It was like he looked like several people at once, but also, like his face couldn't decide what it looked like. One of the main contenders was a deathly pale young man, with piercing blue eyes and long, arsenic white hair, but it changed too quickly for Rin to get a good look. It was hard to look him in the eye.  
" **To be quite honest, I was not expecting this. The only thing I can do now if keep you under protection and wait to see what happens. Of course, there is a lot for you to learn, but all in due time. You there! Situate him in the southern Wing, in one of the guest rooms.** "  
The demon, who Rin had completely forgotten about, bowed so low, he thought his spine would snap.  
" **O-of course, consider it done! This way, Young Prince.** "  
He gestured at the door and, seeing no point in prolonging the encounter, began to walk away, but he was stopped for a moment.  
" **Rin? You may not look much like your mother, but I can see her in you...** "  
That was all he heard before the door to the throne room slammed shut, leaving Rin even more confused than if he had spoken to Mephisto, and that was quite the feat.

As much as he hated it, Rin had to agree with the King of the Demons. All he could do now, was wait.


	12. Attack

**A/n; So, I have a couple of things to aapologize for...**

 **1\. I had to type this up on my phone and autocorrect hates me. So please excuse any grammar or spelling mistakes**

 **2\. I had a lot of trouble finding how to get to where I wanted to go with this part of the story, so some parts may seem rushed or poorly written, sorry if they do.**

 **So, with that said, I hope you enjoy this (extremely overdue (sorry about that too (bracketception))) chapter! :-D**

As it turned out, waiting, was, somehow even worse than most things Rin had been forced to go through. Most.

Despite the fact that he had been given an extremely large living quarers in the palace, he felt restricted and trapped.

Probably due to the fact that he wasn't allowed to leave. He would spend hours at a time pacing his room, trying to refrain from breaking anything out of frustration and, after a day of two, not only was he massively infuriated, but he was going massively stir-crazy as well.

Another day passed, Rin refused to eat anything, the thought of food making him feel sick to his stomach, for a reason unknown to him. It can't matter that much.

He wondered how his demonic healing would react to starvation. Not having anything else to do, he decided to find out. It seems random, yes, but, by this point, Rin was willing to do anything to distract himself from the restlessness churning in his gut.

Another couple of days, and Run was starting to deal pains in his stomach. His fury has been building up inside him and with this new problem, his body wasn't coping well.

His immune system must have been trying to heal the cells that were dying of starvation, but all it did was use up more energy, and make things worse. He wanted to give up this stupid exeriment, but Rin was already at the stage where he was too hungry to eat.

The servants that came to his door to offer meals began to get worried as they hear the pained moaning of the starving boy.

After just over a week without food, and the servants had even tried to knock down the door, but palace security was as tight as it was meant to be. The demon who had to tell Satan was lucky to have escaped with his life.

In the next instant, the door into Rin's room was blasted to pieces in an explosion of powerful blye flames, but what awaited in there was something even he haf never seen before.

The entire room appeared to be either frozen or burning. Rin was curled up in a ball in the bed, barely conscious.

Every time anyone tried to enter the room, the flames would push them back out, almost incinerating them in the process.

All around, the crackle of collapsing furniture and supports around them filled the air. Rin was convulsing in apparent agony as the demonic blood inside him was having a civil war.

While trying to heal the dying cells, Rin's immune system had torn holes in his tissue, allowing the blood to flow into places it shouldn't.

Of course, all of this is just hindsight grasping for an explaination, but it seems the most likely senario.

Inside his entire body, all Rin could feel was an uncontrollable burning sensation, that was somehow also freezing his bones, and unlike anything he had felt before in his life.

He knew that he couldn't hold on to any kind of remnants of his sanity for much longer. The agony was too much.

On the outside, Satan was using his own flames to counter the ones destroying the room.

"Why is it so damn powerful?..."

The anger was so concentrated in the room, that you could almost smell it.

Rin's convusions grew more and more extreme. It wasn't long before-

"ENOUGH!"

Just as an immense blue power shook the room, extinguishing the flames, Rin's mind finally snapped. A howl echoed around the now silent room.

Before long it could be identified as laughter.

It was the last sound Rin made.

The laugh stopped so suddenly an ominous quiet began to suffocate the room.

A growl clawed it's way out of Rin's lips, his tail cracking like a whip.

Just as he lept towards them, Satan used his power to hold Rin in place.

"I want him locked up in the dungeon, you know which one I mean. NOW!"

It was taking much more effort than it should to restrain Rin as he still tried to tear at him, showing no signs of stopping.

It certainly wasn't Rin.

Not as himsef, anyway. Now, Satan would have to take him to the dungeon personally.

"You really are a pain, it turned out, waiting, was, somehow even worse than most things Rin had been forced to go through. Most.

Despite the fact that he had been given an extremely large living quarers in the palace, he felt restdicted and trapped.

Probably due to the fact that he wasn't allowed to leave. He would spend hours at a time pacing his room, trying to refrain from breaking anything out of frustration and, after a day of two, not only was he massively infuriated, but he was going massively stir-crazy as well.

Another day passed, Rin refused to eat anything, the thought of food making him feel sick to his stomach, for a reason unknown to him. It can't matter that much.

He wondered how his demonic healing would react to starvation. Not having anything else to do, he decided to find out. It seems random, yes, but, by this point, Rin was willing to do anything to distract himself from the restlessness churning in his gut.

Another couple of days, and Run was starting to deal pains in his stomach. His fury has been building up inside him and with this new problem, his body wasn't coping well.

His immune system must have been trying to heal the cells that were dying of starvation, but all it did was use up more energy, and make things worse. He wanted to give up this stupid exeriment, but Rin was already at the stage where he was too hungry to eat.

The servants that came to his door to offer meals began to get worried as they hear the pained moaning of the starving boy.

After just over a week without food, and the servants had even tried to knock down the door, but palace security was as tight as it was meant to be. The demon who had to tell Satan was lucky to have escaped with his life.

In the next instant, the door into Rin's room was blasted to pieces in an explosion of powerful blye flames, but what awaited in there was something even he haf never seen before.

The entire room appeared to be either frozen or burning. Rin was curled up in a ball in the bed, barely conscious.

Every time anyone tried to enter the room, the flames would push them back out, almost incinerating them in the process.

All around, the crackle of collapsing furniture and supports around them filled the air. Rin was convulsing in apparent agony as the demonic blood inside him was having a civil war.

While trying to heal the dying cells, Rin's immune system had torn holes in his tissue, allowing the blood to flow into places it shouldn't.

Of course, all of this is just hindsight grasping for an explaination, but it seems the most likely senario.

Inside his entire body, all Rin could feel was an uncontrollable burning sensation, that was somehow also freezing his bones, and unlike anything he had felt before in his life.

He knew that he couldn't hold on to any kind of remnants of his sanity for much longer. The agony was too much.

On the outside, Satan was using his own flames to counter the ones destroying the room.

" **Why is he so damn powerful?...** "

The anger was so concentrated in the room, that you could almost smell it.

Rin's convusions grew more and more extreme. It wasn't long before-

" **ENOUGH!** "

Just as an immense blue power shook the room, extinguishing the flames, Rin's mind finally snapped. A howl echoed around the now silent room.

Before long it could be identified as laughter.

It was the last sound Rin made.

The laugh stopped so suddenly an ominous quiet began to suffocate the room.

A growl clawed it's way out of Rin's lips, his tail cracking like a whip.

Just as he lept towards them, Satan used his power to hold Rin in place.

" **I want him locked in the dungeon, and you know which one I mean! NOW!"**

It was taking much more effort than it should to restrain Rin as he still tried to tear at him, showing no signs of stopping.

It certainly wasn't Rin.

Not as himsef, anyway. Now, Satan would have to take him to the dungeon personally.

" **You really are a pain,** ** _son_** **.** "

Before long, Rin was sealed in the most secure dungeon the palace had to offer. Although, this didn't seem to deter him from trying to claw his way out.

Not long after his incarceration, the sound of an explosion shook the entire palace to it's foundation.

Dust and chunks of rock were raining from the ceiling.

Someone was invading the castle, had Rin been aware, he would have known exactly who it was.

Soon, demons of all kinds were swarming in through the breach on the fourth floor. "

Before long, Rin was sealed in the most secure dungeon the palace had to offer. Although, this didn't seem to deter him from trying to claw his way out.

Not long after his incarceration, the sound of an explosion shook the entire palace to it's foundation.

Dust and chunks of rock were raining from the ceiling.

Someone was invading the castle, had Rin been aware, he would have known exactly who it was.

Soon, demons of all kinds were swarming in through the breach on the fourth floor. All wielding deadly weapons. Somehow, that knew that Run had lost control and been locked up. With everyone you just fighting to let him out, he was trapped. For better if for worse.

The smell of spilt blood seemed to drive the demon puppeteering Rin's body crazy. He became even more inane on escape, as if he was being pulled towards the violence.

Finally, one of the servants found their way down.

With a hesitant glance, he whipped out a set of keys and three the door open. Making sure to steer well clear of it once he has been released.

The demons trying to get in broke through the door and, immediately, Soon was in them like a wolf amung sheep. The demonic bloodthirst reading them to shreds.

As he made his way up, it no longer mattered who was friend or foe. Everything that moved was a target, just like before. He hadn't changed a bit.

For certain, he had killed some of the servants that were fighting for him, but in his state, he was incapable of caring. However, these demons had come prepared. They had weapons. Knives, swords, projectiles, and they outnumbered the palace. Somewhere, get away, Satan was also fighting, leaving a trail of blackened corpses behind him.

It wasn't long before Rin's footprints were dyed the colour red.

Subconsciously, Rin was searching for kurikara. He could feel it's presence. It was like a leash pulling him closer.

One of them had it here.

The demon's fighting became even more furious, desperate, even. He had to get the sword, he HAD TO.

Anyone who got in the way was dead before they got the ground. Soon, he found him.

It was the demon who had kidnapped him. The sword was glowing blue, out of its shieth.

The one this demon was fighting, was Satan.

All Rin could do was run forward, his clawed hand outstretched.

But he was too late. As if in slow motion, Satan retaliated a blow, with a ball of bright blue fire, and fired it right at Kurikara.

The sword held, mostly, but I'm the centre, was a network of cracks as big as Rin's hand.

There was an explosion of azure light, and, finally, darkness.


	13. Sciamachy

For a long while, Rin felt nothing. There was nothing TO feel. All he was conscious of was the churning nausea that seized his entire body. There was no repairing it this time. Pieces of shattered metal littered the floor, each part, dead and lifeless.

Even the demon in control seemed to stop.  
There was nothing to feel.  
The space around him dilated into black.  
He was alone. Again. He had always been alone.

Even the pain that, only moments ago, been unbearable, had deserted him.  
The only thing he could feel, the only thing that existed, were the tears running down his face. Leaving tracks in the blood that coated it.

This was better.

Wasn't it better to feel nothing, than nothing but pain?  
Maybe, he could just stay here. Teetering on the edge of reality.

Alone, and painless for all eternity.

His friends would be better off without him there to drag them into danger.  
His brother would be better off without having to worry about his troublesome, demon sibling.

This way, everyone was happy.

He hugged his arms around himself.  
The cold would take some getting use to.

No.  
It wasn't so much cold, but the numbness brought about by the absence of existence.  
Was this death? Or something else?  
There was no way to know.

The only thing that mattered, was that he was finally free.

Free from the pain, the prejudice, the pressure to control himself.

Why was he still crying?  
Were they tears of joy? That didn't seem possible.

The echo of self-preservation bounced around in his mind.

Would his friends ever forgive him if he stayed here?  
All they knew was that he escaped to Gehenna after losing control.  
No, they wouldn't.

And, his brother, he wouldn't just stop worrying if he disappeared. If anything, it would only increase.

Was this really the best end? Or was it just Rin giving up?  
One seemed more likely than the other.

For the first time since he had begun running into the forest at night, he could feel his determination, pushing him forward.

He couldn't just give up now.

He stopped hugging himself and closing himself off.

Ok.

First things first. He had to find out where he was.  
He couldn't have moved from the palace in Gehenna, so he must still be there.  
Opening his eyes, he could just make out silhouettes moving amongst the black space. One of them was reaching out, seeming to pull him up.

As they drew closer, he could just make out their face.  
It was Yoru.  
He reached out and grabbed his hand, forcing his way through the space which now felt as viscous as syrup. Finally, he managed to grab hold of the hand and he pulled him out of the strange, black space.

It was like Rin's ears were being unblocked after being underwater and he could see for the first time in decades.  
The battle was still going on, the sights and sounds assaulting him immediately.  
Rin barely had the chance to take a deep breath before something knocked him to his feet.

Since Rin had come out of his self-created space of denial, the demon's heart that had been released when the sword had shattered attacked him with a full blow to the chest, completely knocking the wind from him.

Intense pain began to spread through his chest, like rancid honey.  
It felt like he was being burnt alive from the inside out, as it spread to his head.

He glared down at his hands, nails like hooked talons.

They were dripping in blood.

" _This is what you've done._ "

A voice pierced his mind, as cleanly as a knife.  
What?

" _Every night, for all that time. You knew what you were doing. You knew who you were slaughtering._ "

 _ **No. Nonononononono. It wasn't me.**_

" _Who did you think it was?_ "  
His hands were now drenched in the foul, crimson liquid. It was creeping up his arms, reaching up towards him.  
" _It you can't blame anyone else. You cannot keep lying to yourself._ "  
A laugh that could only be likened to a bloodcurdling cry. Burning ice poured down his spine.

 _ **It wasn't. It. Not me. It was YOU. Not me. I couldn't- wouldn't do that.**_

" _Are you sure? I think that THEY would disagree..._ "

Rin could feel arms clawing up his legs. Scores of demons crying at his feet. All the nights that he had been forced to lose control. All of the deaths that his consciousness couldn't bare to witness were now moaning, trying to drag him down into wherever sinners go when they die.

 _ **It's not fair. That wasn't me! It was YOU!**_

 _ **I'M NOT YOU!**_

" _How can you say that? The dead want justice. Do you deny them that? Don't you see?_  
 _We're one in the same._  
 _My slaughter is your massacre._  
 _My bloodlust is your enjoyment._  
 _My mind is your mind._  
 _Now do you understand? It's useless! We'll always be the same person!_ "

Again. Laughter.  
More and more and more and more.  
It filled Rin's head. Blotting out everything.

 _ **It's not my fault. I couldn't help it. I... I just... I.**_  
 _ **Me.**_  
 _ **How could you be me.**_  
 _ **But then again, how couldn't you?**_

 _ **I never wanted this.**_

" _Neither did I. I can't live properly. I can't even exist by myself._  
 _I hate this._  
 _I hate this world._  
 _I hate my existence._  
 _The only thing I don't hate. The thing that gives me life._  
 _My own little 'hobby'._ "

Laughter cackled around Rin's mind again. Laughter that would be enough to drive men to the brink of insanity.  
Well.  
 _ **That's why I'M the one in control. That's why I will always be stronger than you.**_  
" _What? No. I'm the strong one. I'm the one with the power. All of this. ALL of this! It was all me! ALL OF IT WAS ME!_ "  
Static surrounded them. As the blatant contradiction hit him over the head like a sledgehammer.

 _ **You just said we were the same.**_  
 _ **You said it yourself.**_  
 _ **There's no way I'll ever let you massacre innocents again.**_  
 _ **I am you, but you are also me. That means that I'm the one in control.**_

 _ **Stop.**_  
 _ **Just. Stop.**_


	14. Reunited

**~ Vatican Headquarters ~**

"Sir Pheles, you have been summoned here, by The Order, to answer as to why the demon population in Assiah has decreased so suddenly."

"Well, surely this is a cause for celebration! Isn't that what you are trying to achieve? Driving the demons out?"

Arthur A. Angel scowled and replied without missing a beat.  
"Not to this magnitude! The rate at which these hellspawn are disappearing is more than merely suspicious! There is something happening that The Order has not been made aware of, and I know for a fact that someone like _you_ would most certainly have his fingers on the puppet strings!"

Mephisto widened his eyes, mockingly.  
"Oh how you wound me with your accusations! I have done nothing! I am but an innocent bystander!"

"You were never innocent, Satan-spawn!"

"ENOUGH"  
The centre Grigori said. His words were not loud, but they forced silence upon he room.

"Sir Pheles. You may have a long record of aiding The Order, however, we must not exclude from consideration, your _type_. For it would be foolish to discount a demon, in a matter that his own kind are causing."

Mephisto simply grinned.  
"But of course! However, due to my long 'record of aiding The Order', is it not only just that I receive a fair trial? Is there any incriminating evidence against me to support your suggestions, Grigori?"

"Be that as it may, will a witness suffice?"  
The voice of Yukio Okumura rang throughout the hall.

"I do apologise for the sudden interruption, Grigori,"  
He began, bowing low,  
"But I have heard, with my own ears him confess his involvement!"

Angel narrowed his eyes at the demon once again and the Grigori all turned to face him.  
Mephisto only tutted and muttered under his breath:  
"Oh dear, Mr Okumura, you do disappoint me."

In the next 5 minutes, Yukio explained, uninterrupted, all of what Sir Pheles had told him about Rin, and Gehenna, and the two battling factions of demons.

"I am completely certain that Rin's disappearance has everything to do with the withdrawal of demons from Assiah! Mephisto told me that being in Gehenna would affect the demonic blood in Rin dramatically, and this may be tied to what is going on!"

The room sat in stunned silence for a long while. Spats of rain were pounding the ground so hard that their solemn drumbeat could be heard echoing around the hall.

"Sir Pheles. Is... Is this true?"

Mephisto lifted his head and flashed them a Cheshire-cat grin.

"Well, I cannot deny it now, can I? Unfortunately, as much as I would love to stay and chat about my impending judgement, I'm afraid that I have some business to attend to."

"YOU STOP RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE DEMON SCUM!"

Angel's shout was punctuated the sound of heavy air movement as he, seemingly, teleported towards him.

"Sorry, Angel, but my visit is over. I must bid you adieu!"

There was a puff of pink smoke, and the demon was nowhere to be found.

"Find him!"  
Arthur yelled at the guards.  
"Find him at all costs! I want him back here, now!"

He vanished from the room, leaving Yukio on his own, as the Grigori had also departed. All he could think about was how he was going to help his brother. No human could enter Gehenna! It was on a plain of existence that human beings could never comprehend. They'd disintegrate before they could reach the other side.

But then, he wasn't wholly human, was he?  
Sure, his brother had inherited the blue flames and the demonic blood, but, he was still a son of Satan, surely, he could cross the barrier! He had to take that chance. The only issue now, was to open a gate.  
There must be something he could do...

Something...

-

 **~ Satan's Palace ~**

The battle was ongoing, seemingly endless. The stalemate was hard to believe, with both Satan and his son fighting on the same side, but the sheer number of attackers was a match for even them.

You could tell who was attacking. Satan's flames wreaked havoc among the assailants, causing them to shout in agony, Rin's flames were not nearly as intense, by choice. They were meant to render the target unable to fight, not kill them.

Not for the first time, Rin wondered why he was helping Satan, the demon he hated, the monster that had killed the only real father he had ever had. But, then, if Satan died, who would replace him? Rin? No, he could never do it. The 8 demon kings would quarrel over who would rise to the crown. Quarrels would become wars, wars would leave both Gehenna and Assiah destroyed and desolate. Without a ruler, the two worlds would collapse in on each other, leaving nothing behind.

With that in mind, he still had to protect his friends. He had to repay them for leaving so suddenly and without warning. He could never just let them die.

Another demon charged towards him, as a squad of them attacked from behind. Azure flames flared up around them, leaving them unconscious, on the ground. But they just kept coming. It seemed as though ever time he brought one down, another would take its place! Rin was beginning to feel the effects of fatigue, as the last two days had been the hardest he had ever had to live through.

Seconds passed like decades as wave after wave came for them. They needed more than just raw power, they needed help. If only his friends were here. At least then, he could keep fighting, with them at his back.

Behind his, another scream rang out. Somehow, among the complete chaos of battle, he heard this particular scream as clear as a bell.

Whipping around to see what was going on, he could just make out a tiny splodge of crimson-brown splatted over the floor.  
It could easily have been mistaken for a mere smudge on the carpet, if not for the fact that a demon had sunk down into it up to his waist!

Rin gasped as the nature of the strange splodge became clear.

It was a Gehenna Gate.

-

The Gate started off small, but in a matter of seconds, it had quadrupled its size, then again, until it was huge!  
Inside it, he could just make out something.

Deep in the red, liquidy heads, he could just make out the tip of a finger. Then a hand.  
Someone was coming through! Not a demon, a someone!

As fast as he could, Rin grabbed the hand, something about it seemed familiar, and pulled with almost all of his strength (If he had used his full strength, then he would've pulled the hand clean off). Torn and ragged, he could just make out the sleeve of an Exorcist uniform. Rin held his breath as he hoped against hope that it was what he thought is was.

Slowly, as he had to fend off the savage demon attacks from all fronts, he pulled the hand up through the viscous substance.

A gurgled, bubbling noise came from within. If he didn't pull them out soon, they would drown in there!

He drew in a breath and grabbed at the arm, pulling as hard as he was able.  
After a painstakingly long second, a heaving head was yanked free from the Gate!

Without his glasses, it was hard for Rin to recognise him.

But there was no way he wouldn't know this person. Even if he was disfigured beyond belief.  
When he had finally pulled him out, Rin almost cried from relief.

"Boy am I ever glad to see you, you Four-eyed, mole-face."


	15. Escape

There was no time for teary reunions, as the horde of Demons still attacked relentlessly from all directions. Even with the two of them together again, it was still almost too much for them to handle. Somehow, Yukio had managed to bring his guns through the Gate, but he was running out of ammunition fast, and Rin's flames were draining energy faster and faster. They wouldn't be able to hold out much longer.

"Hey, umm... Yukio, how many bullets do you think you have left?"

He fired off another round into the assailants.

"Right now? I think two more rounds for each gun."

Rin had absolutely no idea what that really meant, whether it was a lot or a little, but based on his brother's face, he guessed it was the latter.

They were on their last legs, both of them, about to give way, when a tower of flames shot into the dark sky, now visible through the multiple holes in the roof of the palace.

"What the hell was that?"  
Yukio frowned.  
"I was about to ask you the same question."

The demons around them froze. The single second of hesitation was all of the time needed.

From around the corner, came a figure, easily distinguishable from the waves of demons surrounding them.  
"Is that?..."  
Rin growled.  
"Yup... It's him all right."

Satan, shadowed by pure fury boiling on his face and in his flames, was walking down the corridor towards them. Still some of the demons tried to attack, but their numbers decreased as one by one, they were completely scorched to ash within mere seconds.

He stopped only 5 meters away from them and looked around darkly.

" **How dare you...** "  
His voice was soft and sinister, yet somehow ringing through the silent hallways.

" **HOW DARE YOU!** "  
The sudden shout rocked the shambled palace to its roots, making the demons instinctively scatter, trying to scramble away.

" **Can you even comprehend what would happen if you succeeded in killing me? But then, I suppose, that's not what you care about. Alright. Let's ask a different question. What kind of EXECUTION could possibly suit a TREASON OF THIS LEVEL?** "

Dead silence weighed over the air.

" **No answers? Very well then, I'll just have to take my best GUESS!** "

On the last word, azure light erupted from his figure, as the demons in the closest proximity to him were practically vaporised instantly. The others had no such luck.

Rin cried out, expecting his entire body to be burning up, engulfed in the heat of the fire, but, somehow, he wasn't. All he could feel was a slight wind following the raging flames. He looked at Yukio, who also seemed fine, then turned to what remained of the intruders.

The mangled cries of the horde tore at the twins' hearts. Even if they were the enemy, what was Satan to them? Certainly not a friend. They could never call him family, so what? Why was he sparing them? He could just have easily destroyed them, which would be his best option, seeing as they were such a threat to him. But, still, they remained unburnt.

Somewhere, deep inside him, Rin could hear his demon laughing from the cage he had imprisoned it in inside his mind. The sound was faint, but still present. It reminded Rin that the demon inside him would never really leave, all he could do was keep it under his control, not the the other way around.

Still, there were still some of the demon intruders alive, but in extreme agony.

"Stop it! You don't need to torture them!"  
Rin burst out .  
"You've done enough, just stop!"

Satan turned to look at him. The king Demon's ever changing face morphed into a look of both perplexity and amusement.

" **Ah, I knew there would be a day when I would meet you again, my dear son.** "  
Rin flinched at the name.  
"I'm no son of yours! I only had one Dad, and you killed him, you monster!"

It was taking every ounce of Rin's willpower not to fly at the demon, guns blazing. That, plus Yukio's hand grabbing his arm and pulling him back.

" **Oh, really? Well then, I suppose I can have no reservations about KILLING the two of you, then?** "  
He let out a burst of maniacal laughter, punctuated by the final cries of the demons he had burnt to a crisp.

The sound of Yukio's gun clicking rang out, and Rin gripped Kurikara tighter.

" **But then, why did I go to all the trouble of saving you, just to kill you? No, that's no fun. Tell you what, stay here, in Gehenna, and I won't kill you! Deal?** "

Rin spluttered.  
"What the hell? Are you crazy? I'd never do that!"

The Devil laughed again.  
" **You belong here. I know you can feel it. The Gehenna air is making that demonic blood in you boil. It's like being in a giant amplifier for your power, isn't it? This is where you're meant to be.** "  
He grinned a sinister grin.  
" **What'll it be?** "

Rin growled. Behind him, Yukio was frozen, desperately trying to think of a way out of the situation, but there was nothing.

The half-demon thought back to anything that could help them...

The gate.

The Gehenna Gate that he had first made had lasted for 3 days! The one Yukio had come through had to still be there! But, how could they get there?  
The cogs whirred in his brain, thinking as hard as he could.

A voice pierced the silence.

 _I can help you._

He blinked. What the hell was that? Was it the Demon? Surely not, he had beaten it, right?

 _You can't 'beat' what's a part of you. Just let me out. I can get you there._

He shook his head. Now was not the time to even be considering the idea! Behind him, Yukio was still stood there, gun pointed and at the ready.

 _Listen! If you die, so do I! I can help, just let me go!_

He let out a long sigh.  
Slowly, ever so slowly, Rin lowered his sword to the floor.

" **There! I knew you'd come to your senses!** "

He could hear Yukio behind him suddenly shout.  
"No, Rin, don't do it! There's another way, there has to be!"

" **SHUT UP!** "  
The fire began to prick Yukio's skin, reminding him of what position he was in. He frowned, looking at Rin, who had his eyes closed, breathing heavily.

"Fine..." He breathed. So quietly, no one could have heard it.

Except the Demon.

Rin's eyes flew open, his bright, azure irises glowing with a cold, cruel, insane glee.  
Without an instant's delay, he charged.

Though Satan was unprepared, he recovered quickly and shot a blast of fire at him. Rin quickly countered with a blown, blue shield, barely making it on time. The smell of singed hair filled the hallway. For a brief moment, he turned looked at Yukio, his eyes flicking in the direction of the Gate, before the Demon forced him to turn his head back to the fight.

Rin could barely see what was happening, different shades of blue all blurring together, covering everything in azure paint. He could hardly make out the shapes of the things around him, as blow after blow, the two demons duelled.

In the midst of the fight, Yukio managed to sneak towards the Gate, gun still at the ready, in case things went south. Or was it... Something else? The look in Rin's eyes... He had become a demon again, hadn't he?

Slowly, Rin was backing towards the Gate, edging backwards as he fought. Not only was he fighting the King of all Demons, but also, every step back as the Demon tried to pull him closer and closer to the fight.

Once again, he managed to drag a step back.  
The Gate was smaller than he had first thought, but he should still be able to fit in. Yukio was standing just behind him. Ready.

"Right. We have to go. Now!"  
Rin yelled at the Demon, even though the words never left his mouth.

 _Yeah, I'm having WAY too much FUN! We're staying!_

"WHAT? That wasn't the deal! You're going to get us killed!"

 _That Satan was right. Being in Gehenna is so... EXHILLARATING! I don't want to leave._

"No way! We're going! NOW!"

Rin tried to wrest control back, but his hands slipped. He fell back into his own consciousness, but instantly sprang back up.  
Not again. Not this time. This time, he was going to win.

"This is MY body, and I'M the one in control!"

With a mighty heave, he pulled back control, forcing himself to fall backwards, into the Gate.  
On the way down, Rin grabbed Yukio's arm, pulling him down with him.

The semi-familiar viscous liquid of the gate, dragged them both downwards. For a moment, fear raced through him, but he pushed it away. There was no backing out now.

With one final glimpse of Satan's furious face, the world of Gehenna was swallowed up.


End file.
